Obama-appointed judge issues stay against Trump immigration ban

On Saturday, Bloomberg reported that two judges, including one appointed by former President Barack Obama on the recommendation of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, issued temporary stays on parts of President Trump’s temporary immigration ban from seven countries.

According to Bloomberg:

A nationwide ruling in Brooklyn, New York, barring refugees and visa holders already legally in the U.S. from being turned back came hours after the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups sued to halt the Jan 27 order.

A separate order in Alexandria, Virginia, forbid the government from removing about 60 legal permanent residents of the U.S. who were being detained at Dulles International Airport.

Neither ruling strikes down the executive order, which will now be subject to court hearings. White House officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment late Saturday.

The Department of Homeland Security, which runs the Customs and Border Protection agency, said in a statement Sunday that it would comply with judicial orders and that the government retained the right to revoke visas for reasons of national or public safety.

A federal judge in Brooklyn, New York issued an emergency stay Saturday night that temporarily blocks the U.S. government from sending people out of the country after they have landed at a U.S. airport with valid visas.

The order barred U.S. border agents from removing anyone who arrived in the U.S. with a valid visa from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen. It also covered anyone with an approved refugee application. The Department of Homeland Security said that more than 170 people were denied entry to the U.S. as of Saturday night, according to Reuters.

The ruling by Judge Ann Donnelly of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York came during a hearing called after President Donald Trump issued an executive order blocking people from seven Muslim-majority from entering the United States and putting a temporary halt to refugee admissions

Donnelly was nominated to be a federal judge by President Barack Obama on the recommendation of Sen. Charles Schumer. On Friday, she had the oath of office administered to her by Chief Judge Carol Bagley Amon, and Judge Pamela K. Chen bestowed the ceremonial gavel to her as the newest judge in the court.

“We are indebted to Sen. Schumer for recommending Ann Donnelly and all of the other outstanding recent appointments,” Bagley Amon said. “She takes the seat vacated by Sandra Townes when Judge Towns took senior status — seat No. 10, created in 1978.”